International - CAPSULE REPORT: ARTICLE 19 concerned about plight of artists whose right to free...

Source: ARTICLE 19 Person(s): Sergio Witz, Abdulkadir Adow Ali, Ko Zarganar, Mustache brothers, Haifa Wehbe Type(s) of violation(s): attacked , censored , fined Urgency: Threat (ARTICLE 19/IFEX) - The following is an abridged ARTICLE 19 press release: Inaugural Artist Alert July 2008 Painters, poets, singers, photographers, dramatists, authors, film-makers, musicians, and other artists are targeted because of their art and creation: they are silenced and censored through imprisonment, harassment, intimidation, and in the worse cases, killed. The perpetrators are governments and state agents, but also non-state actors - a variety of groups intent on keeping full control on all forms of expression and thus on suppressing dissenting voices or images, in the name of purity, morality, religion or for a variety of other reasons.... [read full story]